Of Bread and Woe
by JabberwockylovesTiva
Summary: A series of one shots between Gale and Katniss before and after her games


Gale's POV

I've known her since she was 12, been best friends with her for most of that time, everyone I know thought that we would get married. Then her sister gets reaped into the hunger games' and of course Katniss has to take her place.

"Ladies first," the annoying Effie calls out and sticks her arm in the bowl and pulls out the name, she heads over to the microphone. "And here's our first tribute Primrose Everdeen."

As soon as I heard those words I knew Katniss was lost to me she would never let her sister go and fight in the games. Katniss started to fight her way forward. I walked up to Prim as I heard Katniss volunteer as tribute. Prim starts to scream "No Katniss, no." I grab Prim and drag her back to where her mother was standing in shock as her eldest daughter walked up onto stage most likely to her death.

"John Callen." Not that whinnying imbecilic, he's in my year, just some rich kid from the town who's not very smart, just had the advantage of growing up in the town and never having a problem on the amount of food he as. I started to head towards the justice building, knowing that this would be the last chance I had to tell her anything.

I got her and I saw Prim and Mrs Everdeen leaving the Justice building both looking as though they had just lost their last hope of survival, although without Katniss that would likely be true unless I take care of both of our family's. I leave Prim and Mrs Everdeen to head home and as I continued into the Justice Building. The last time I headed into the Justice building it was to get awarded the medal for my father's death, I kept the medal for three days before selling it off to try and get some money to help pay for food and the more needed essentials. As I walked up to wear Katniss was being held and walked into the room where she was for all of her goodbyes.

As I walk into her room, I notice that she is trying hard not to cry, something that not many people other than me could pick up on. I open my arms to her and she runs over to me, straight into my arms. I hug her tightly, wishing that I never had to let her go, wishing for this to not be the last time that he ever saw her or felt her again.

"Take care of them for me, make sure they are fed. You can trade for the meat with goat's cheese and medical supplies."

"Katniss, just shut up you know that I take care of them they are a second family. Just make sure that when you are in there make sure that you get your hands on a bow. That's all you need to get out of there and then you will be home." I hear a knock on the door and then a voice warning us of only having five minutes left. "Katniss, whatever happens in there make sure that you come out alive, and make sure that you remember this, I love you and I will always love you." I lean in and kiss her hard on the lips she seems shocked at first and then she starts to respond. We are just about to break apart when I get pulled away by the peacekeepers, and shoved out the door. I see the door slammed in my face, happy that I had at least had the chance to do it once before I died. I stared at the door for a few seconds and then walked away from Katniss and headed for the woods to do some hunting knowing that I will have to work harder to hunt for both of our families.

Katniss POV

It's been about five minutes since Gale got pulled from my room and all I can remember is the feeling of his lips on mine, they were soft and warm, and made mine tingle, he made my body tingle with excitement. I wish I could just focus on that and not focus on the fact that in a couple of days I am likely to be fighting for my life if I live through the first day of the fight at the Cornucopia. I guess there is something to be glad about and that is the fact that the boy I'm going into the games with I don't know he's not in my year and he comes from town. The townies don't really like having anything to do with us seam kids, were poor and are destined to spend the rest of lives after eighteen in a mine with bad pay and a high chance of dying.

I don't know how I feel about Gale; I've known him since I was twelve and in the last couple of months I think our relationships have progressed past the point of being friends. The thought of him kissing anyone who was not me, even though we really did not have that kind of relationship, has shocked me. I'm even closer to crying after what just happened and I know that it is not a good idea to look as though I have been crying otherwise I might come across as weak and might not get as many; or any sponsors because of it.

Couple of days later in the Capitol

I'm getting nervous were coming up to my interview and seeing as I'm not any good at any sort of speaking style so our new plan is for me to act as though I'm talking to Cinna the one person who was not Gale that I could act as myself around.

It's now my turn, my hands are sweaty and my dress is not able to absorb any sweat as it is all jewelled and for some reason people don't make jewels absorbent. I can feel a lot of eyes on me as I walk up to take my seat. I shake Caesar's hand and I'm shocked when he does not immediately wipe his hand off.

"So Katniss what do you think of the Capitol so far?" Oh what a great question for you to start off with you are such an inventive person to come up with that question. I wish that I did not have a need for sponsors I could be a complete ass and get away with it or if I was as big as some of the other tributes then I would not have a problem with acting tough and witty like I normally am.

"Well my first thought to that would be the food, well I guess the people aren't that bad, I'm just glad that I get the chance to experience. But I think that I like the most would have to the clothes I mean look at this dress." I stand up not needing a cue and started to twirl, I kept on twirling until I was so dizzy I had problems standing in the heels and at to grab at the seat to keep standing.

"Well our time here is nearly up and I've got one more question left. Katniss do you have anyone back home?"

This was the question that I was dreading as I did not know what Gale and I were. "I would have to say yes." Before I could say anything more the buzzer goes off and it's time for me to go back to my seat. I was worried about how Gale would take that answer but seeing as it's not very likely for me to live out the week I decided to not worry about it too much.

Gale's POV

As soon as I heard that I was up, up and running I ran out of my house and kept on running I ran all the way into the forest and up the hill to our normal meeting spot. How could I have not realized how could she not tell me, I'm her best friend. It's probably Darius or that whinny Mellark kid who is always staring after her. She just never noticed she has always been blind to that kind of thing. I have not moved in the last couple of hours, and all of my joints are stiff. So I get up and spend the rest of the day hunting.

The next day at school one of the girls tried to drag me behind the building I was used to it and I would normally ignore it but for some reason today I did not say no I guess I was just to hurt by the fact that Katniss was with anyone. The girl was just a start she was not the last I went through a lot of girls trying to forget about Katniss nothing worked I would go home and just see her on the TV it was kind of hard to forget about her. I eventually gave up on all of the girls not knowing why I even started with them, I was happy when Katniss won knowing that she was still alive I also knew that there was a chance that she would find out about all of the girls not that it would really matter with whoever her guy is.

The day before Katniss comes back I start work in the mines it is horrible work and shit pay I was trying to find a way to get out of the banquet to be held for Katniss tomorrow. I know if I pretend to be sick she will know she can always tell when I'm lying. In the end I decide to pretend to be sick and go hunting in some new place we have never been.

Katniss POV

I arrive back to the District 12 train station, everyone but the one person I was looking for was standing there. I know where he is he's gone hunting he's trying to avoid me, in the time that I've been away he's probably managed to find himself new hunting spots. I've been taken to the Mayor's house to get ready for the banquet, I've got hours before the start of the banquet so I decide to head into the forest to try and find Gale knowing that he would not be going to the banquet.

I headed back to old house and got my father's hunting clothes and changed into them before heading out into the forest to try and find Gale. Knowing it would not be that long since he got off work he would not be very far into the forest knowing that he would have stopped off to pick up one of my father's bows. I grabbed my favourite bow and started trying track Gale. His path would lead him to the lake the one place in the forest that I had never shown him it did not surprise me that he found it. He probably spent the time that I was not here searching the forest for a new hunting place in case I came back. I knew a quicker way to get to the lake then he probably did. I got their before him and sat there waiting for him to arrive.

He walked past me, I jumped up an followed him as quietly as possible but he heard me. "Katniss what do you want?"

"Gale is there a reason that you are ignoring me and avoiding going to the banquet?"

"I will answer you if you answer me this, you know that question Caser asked you, you only said yes before the buzzer went off and I want to know your answer to it?"

I had no idea how I could answer it, it's been a couple of weeks and his feelings are likely to have changed. So I did the only thing that I could think ofI walked closer to Gale so I that I basically pressed up against him and I leaned up on my toes and kissed him.

Gale's POV

I was shocked out of all the people I did not expect her answer to be me. In fact I was so certain that it would not be me I was to shocked to do anything other than just stand there. I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her closer, finally returning the kiss I felt her wrap her arms around my neck and deepened the kiss. We had to stop for air, and I tried not to stare at the soft look on her face knowing that I should not have done that because what I've doing for the last couple of weeks. "Katniss I did not want to see how fake they make you look."

"Gale I know you're lying you won't even look at me, what happened why I was away?"

Oh shit um what should I tell her how can admit to all of the things that I did while she wasn't here. "Not much, we didn't really do anything why?"

Katniss's POV

I knew something was wrong, I could tell when I kissed him he seemed more grown up, as if he had learnt something over the time of the games. I just glared at him all emotion that had been on my face just disappeared I could tell that he was nervous, when that happened as I was holding a weapon, a weapon that I knew better than him and that I had killed people before.

"Um well, um not much, I just met a couple of new people."

As soon I heard that I knew, I knew that he had not waited for me, I turned and ran I ran for home. I knew he was following me, and I wasn't as fast as I was before, because of all of the travelling and the repairing I needed for my body he was easily faster than me. He grabbed me and picked me up so I had no chance of being able to pull away from him. I kicked him as hard as I could and he just kept on holding me. "Gale put me down." I shouted.

"Katniss stop it. Relax and stop fighting and listen to what I have to say." She stopped fighting but I did not loosen my grip on her as it is quite likely that she will start fighting again. "Katniss, don't freak out, I thought I would never see you again. I also thought that you meant someone else Darius or Mellark."

I had relaxed up on till that moment, I stiffened again. "What are you talking about neither of them like me?"

"Katniss, Mellark stares after you whenever you walk past him, Darius was trying to get with you when you were sitting at the table in the hob."

"Gale you kissed me first, you said that you loved me first. You told me to remember that, you started this and then left me not knowing what was going on I had no idea about any of this. Is this all because of the fact that I was about die is that the only reason you said anything."

"That's what you think, you think I did all of that for you just because there was a chance that you were about to die. Wow I'm glad that is how you think about me after all the years that you've known me, you think I would say that."

"Yes seeing as that's how you're clearly thinking about me when that happened seeing as how you've ignored me and have been avoiding me so yes that's how it seems to me."

Gale's POV

I can't believe that's what she thinks she means to me, I don't think I could live without her. She turned around in my arms to look at me I saw the look on her face she was nearly crying. I couldn't stand it any longer and leaned down and kissed her hard on the lips. I was shocked that she didn't try to pull away after what she had said to me. I pulled away, "I was avoiding you because of what I had done while you weren't here, I was no I'm not right for a person has good as you, you deserve better than me, you deserve a stable future, which you now have but that has nothing to do with me you did it all yourself and I don't deserve you."

"What just because I won the games' you now think that I will want nothing to do with you, just because I now have money, just because I no longer live in the seam, just because I no longer need to hunt to survive. Gale you took care of my family I owe you my life, you can't hunt every day you now only have Sundays' to do anything and you have not trained your younger brother, the only person who can now make sure that you get fresh meat and any other food that you need and all of the everyday things. This way I can pay you back for all the things that you have ever done for me. You deserve better than someone who just uses everyone around them and then gets them killed. It's I who doesn't deserve you. Just because I won does not mean that I will have a stable future, I'm now going to have mentor the kids chosen year after year until there is another victor from here."

I sit down on the ground I think out of shock that she feels like that. I had dragged her down onto the ground with me and was now at eye level with her I only just realized how tired she was. "Katniss you will be able to do it everyone will be there for you just do your best with it and try and help to get more kids out of the arena. That's not really that important Katniss you have a year to try and work this out, what is more important is yourself, don't turn yourself into one of the Capitol's slaves your stronger than that. Katniss how much sleep have you been getting lately? It doesn't seem like you have gotten enough, look really tired."

God damn it how come he's the only person who can read me. "Yeah I'm fine, I'm getting enough sleep," the look he gave told me that he knew I was lying, there was no way that I could lie to him without him realizing. "Damn how could you tell, yeah I'm having some problems sleeping but it doesn't really mean anything. I don't sleep that much," looking up at the sun I realized how late it was. "Sorry Gale I have to go. Please come tonight I don't think I can survive it without you there. Please," He let me go and he just sat there, I knew there was not much chance of him coming but I could be hopeful right.

I watched her walk away, wondering if I should go after her, or at least go to the banquet with her. I get up and start walking around.

Couple of hours later at the banquet

Katniss POV

I had to go through the prepping before this and now I'm standing here in dress feeling stupid wishing that I was anywhere other than here standing here in this stupid dress getting tonnes of food knowing that a lot of people would be going to bed hungry and there's plenty here for everyone. I still have not seen Gale I'm not really surprised I did not expect him to turn up but for some reason I'm still upset at the fact that he's not here. It's the first time I've seen my mother and Prim since before I left for the games, dinner went by really quickly I spent most of the time speaking to Prim about what had happened during the time I was in the games. It was now time for dancing, and Rory, Gale's younger brother, had asked Prim to dance. I was standing of to the side watching them when someone came up behind me.

"You look as though you need a partner."

"Gale," I breathed. "I didn't think you were going to come." I felt myself being pulled onto the dance floor.

"You did ask me, you kind of begged me. Besides we didn't really finish our conversation," I pull her into my arms glad at the chance to hold so close to me.

"I guess we didn't. It kind of seemed like nothing was going to happen without us arguing," it's at times like this I really wish I didn't want him as much as I do. I can feel his hard muscles, which have developed over years of hunting. "Meet me in the victors' village, I have my own place Prim and mother has not moved in with me yet, and there are no neighbours if we do start yelling at each other it won't really matter Haymitch will already be completely drunk." I possibly shouldn't have said that who knows how he might react but it's not like we can go into the forest this late at night who knows what animals would be out and about looking for fresh meat.

"Yeah it's probably the safest place for us although it probably means no will hear me scream when you kill me." I smile to let her know that I was just joking; a small smile appears on her face. "I'll meet you there as soon as I can." I let her go and leave the banquet and head for the Victors' Village.

I try as hard as I can to get out of the banquet but everyone wanted to talk to me seeing as I'm the 3rd victor that 12 has ever had. When I finally got away I ran up through the district to the village, I ran past Gale and continued into my house I headed up to my room and ditched the dress and heels, I had just pulled out on some clothes when Gale walked into my room. "Why don't you just tell what happened why I was in the games."

"Do you really want the answer to this Katniss?" She just nods. "I couldn't stand the look in people's eyes when they looked at me I hated the pity I could see in their of the girls pulled me behind the building at school like they normally would have, most days I would have resisted but for some reason I just decided to stop caring, I let her do what she wanted," I took a deep breath knowing what I was about to say would completely destroy her. "I didn't stop her although I really should have but I was pissed and had stopped caring. I ended up skipping school for the rest day with her, she dragged me to her home, and well I'm sure that you can guess what happens next. She was the first in a string of girls till yesterday when I started work in the mines."

"Why did you do that Gale, I mean why all the girls."

"I was hurt so I just decided to go with it I stopped caring the only thing that I cared about was making sure my family was feed but other than that nothing mattered. Look I feel horrible I don't know why I did it, well I guess I do. I kind of thing that maybe if I had known you're answer to the question even if it had been someone else I would have preferred that just because I would have known I would have been able to forget about you and move on the worst thing really was knowing that there was a chance it could be me. So now that I've answered your question will you answer mine?"

"I guess you could, so long as that was the truth and you're not trying to get me to trust you. What do you want to ask me?" I really don't know whether or not I should believe him, I mean there is no reason for me to trust him, but there is also no reason for me to think he's lying he's never lied to me before so why would he start now.

"Well I know you were lying to me earlier, Katniss how much sleep have you been getting?"

Seeing as he just told me the truth I get the feeling that he will not be happy if I lie to him and I don't think that he will forgive me for lying to him. "Gale," the look on his face informed that what I had just being thinking would happen if I lied. "I fall asleep, and manage to sleep for a couple of hours, then the nightmares hit and I wake up screaming. I can't fall back to sleep, so I spend the rest of the night dozing not falling asleep enough for the nightmares to come back, but not enough to survive the next day all I need is more sleep."

"Katniss you need to get some sleep, even if you're just going to wake up try harder and you will eventually get over them. Please let me help you in whatever way possible, but seeing as you need your sleep, I will leave and come back after work tomorrow. Bye Katniss." I get up and start to walk out of the room; I turned and walked back to her. I started to kiss her; I pulled back when I thought I had gone too far.

"Please don't leave me alone I don't think I can be alone tonight Gale."

A/N: Hope you enjoyed, I've got the next chapter ready and will post it if people like it. Please review.


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